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Hypersensitivity reactions to complementary and alternative medicine products
Maria Teresa Ventura1, Marinella Viola, Gianfranco Calogiuri
1Department of Internal Medicine, Immunology and Infectious Diseases (MIDIM), University of Bari Medical School, Policlinico, Piazza G. Cesare, 11, 70124 Bari, Italy. mt.ventura@allergy.uniba.it
Current Pharmaceutical Design
|October 5, 2006
Summary
Complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) remedies can cause hypersensitivity reactions, primarily affecting the skin. Clinicians must be aware of these risks, as highlighted by numerous reported cases.
Area of Science:
- Integrative medicine
- Dermatology
- Allergology
Background:
- Complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) use is rising, often for hypersensitivity conditions.
- CAM products, including tea tree oil, Compositae, propolis, aromatherapy oils, photosensitizers, and metals, frequently cause hypersensitivity reactions.
- Skin manifestations are most common, ranging from contact dermatitis to severe syndromes like Stevens-Johnson syndrome, alongside potential respiratory and anaphylactic reactions.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review and highlight the risk of hypersensitive reactions associated with CAM remedies.
- To consolidate evidence from reported cases in the literature regarding adverse CAM reactions.
Main Methods:
- Literature review of reported hypersensitivity reactions to CAM products.
- Analysis of pathogenic mechanisms, including IgE-mediated and T-cell-mediated pathways.
- Overview of diagnostic methods for immediate (skin tests, IgE assays) and delayed (patch tests, lymphocyte transformation tests) hypersensitivity.
Main Results:
- CAM products are implicated in a wide spectrum of hypersensitivity reactions, predominantly cutaneous.
- Immunologic mechanisms, involving mast cells, basophils, and T-cells, are key to CAM-induced hypersensitivity.
- Diagnostic tools are available for both immediate and delayed hypersensitivity reactions to CAM.
Conclusions:
- Clinicians need awareness of CAM's potential to cause adverse hypersensitivity reactions.
- Further systematic research and regulatory oversight are essential due to limited knowledge on CAM adverse effects.
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